Parents and teachers share responsibility for creating a working relationship that fosters children's learning. This digest examines the cultural context for parent-teacher relationships, suggests some general strategies for creating a climate in which misunderstandings and disagreements between parents and teachers can be minimized through communication, and discusses some general principles for parents and teachers in dealing with disagreements as they arise. It is important for teachers and parents to remember that they know the child in different contexts, and that each may be unaware of what the child is like in the other context. It is also important for teachers and parents to remember that the foundation for good parent-teacher relationships is frequent and open communication and that both teachers and parents share the responsibility for creating such a foundation. There are several strategies teachers can use to establish a climate conducive to open communication. Teachers can: (1) let parents know how and when they can contact the school and the teacher; (2) practice an open-door, open-mind policy; (3) elicit expressions of parents' concerns and interests in preparation for parent-teacher conferences; and (4) involve parents in classroom activities. Parents also have an important role to play in fostering open communication between themselves and teachers. They can: (1) introduce themselves; (2) be involved in classroom and school activities; and (3) initiate regular contact. On those inevitable occasions when parents and teachers disagree, teachers should: (1) know the school policy for addressing parent-teacher disagreements; and (2) use discretion about when and where children and their families are discussed. Parents can: (1) talk directly with the teacher about the problem; (2) avoid criticizing teachers in front of children; and (3) choose an appropriate time and place to discuss the disagreement. (LPP)